


buoyancy of the heart

by quirklesswonder (TheSadisticMunchkin)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drunkenness, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Partying, Sokka has an obsession with boats, Zuko finds it cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29401416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/quirklesswonder
Summary: “Why don’t we get you some water?” Zuko offers with a small smile at the boy who is still laying on top of him. “What’s your name?”“Sokka,” He slurs out, pressing his cheek against Zuko’s right shoulder. “I like… boats.”“So I’ve heard.”Zuko's plans to be anti-social at Aang's house party is completely derailed by a cute, blue-eyed stranger who has a particular fondness for boats.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), mentioned Aang/Katara - Relationship
Comments: 29
Kudos: 362
Collections: HZH Palentine's Day 2021





	buoyancy of the heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nights/gifts).



> not @ me usually being radio silent in the server except to use the rpg bot and for this exchange ;-; but !! i did my best !!
> 
> hi noa!! this is your lil gift for palentines :> i saw [this tiktok](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P3Kq8iIQP4) and thought gosh darn it that sure sounds like zukka! so. here it is. a Monstrosity. it's my first time writing zukka too so idk how well i did but i really do hope you like it <3
> 
> i've embedded a custom playlist for you to listen to as well! if you think it has too many sea shanties, no you don't <3

Zuko considers himself to be many things and a party boy is  _ definitely  _ not one of them. 

He has no idea how Aang thought it to be a good idea that he come to his house party, considering he literally has  _ never  _ interacted with any of his other friends. Except maybe his girlfriend Katara. And on the first day that he met her, she punched him by accident. His cheek still stings as a learned reaction every time he passes by her in the hallways. 

_ “You gotta loosen up a bit, Zuko!” _

Yeah. The squirming crowd of strangers dancing to a song he’s unfamiliar with is  _ really  _ helping him loosen up,  _ Thanks, Aang. I owe you one.  _

He has a favorite corner in Aang’s ridiculously large home. It’s the one by the fireplace where beanbag chairs replace traditional sofas. Aang inherited this house from a mentor of his and he quickly worked to design the place into his own liking. That included swapping out a lot of the old, dusty, frankly expensive furniture with vibrant and ergonomic pieces. Zuko claimed the deep red bean bag in the living room as his since the housewarming.

But today, somebody was sitting on it. 

Unfortunately, the dark blue bean bag beside them was unoccupied.

Zuko sighs. It’s better than not having anywhere to sit at all. So, he sips the god awful tequila a random girl gave him before he pushes through the dancing crowd to sit on the bean bag chair. The stranger who stole his red bean bag seemed to be deep in conversation, the drink in his hand sloshing around and spilling on the floor as he continued to speak to…

The wall.

Dear lord. Not only did a random person claim the one thing in Aang’s house he saw as his own little corner, he was  _ also  _ flat out drunk. Zuko is now decidedly glaring at the tequila in his red solo cup. Maybe he shouldn’t drink any more of this, lest he becomes the crazy person talking to the wall. But he really has nowhere else to go in the house without there being at least three couples making out every few feet. Zuko prays that Aang won’t ask him to help with the cleanup.

So, he settles with begrudgingly listening to this drunk dude ramble on and on about… the Titanic? Is he hearing this right? Perhaps the tequila’s already gone to his head because he  _ cannot  _ be stuck at this party with a man obsessed with the Titanic. 

But then the man turns his head towards Zuko and suddenly he’s  _ very  _ invested in the Titanic. 

He wasn’t aware that Aang had such attractive friends. Other than working on tech with him at the theater department, they don’t have any other mutual classes. Certainly this cute boy with a wolf tail is worth his attention— even if the subject of his current rambling is something he has no prior knowledge on. But of course, Zuko sees that as merely a challenge. Besides, he’s watched the movie once before. He knows that Celine Dion had something to do with it.

Some time during his moment of wracking his entire brain for Titanic trivia, the boy tugs at his shirt and leans dangerously close to him. Zuko internally panics. Oh god. What is one supposed to do when a cute drunk guy initiates contact? Is he supposed to do anything? Maybe just staring is a good idea.

But when he turns his head to look at him in the eye, Zuko decides that it is a terrible idea. 

How can somebody’s eyes be that  _ blue?  _ Those are definitely contacts. Or not. It doesn’t matter because he’s practically swimming in them. The way they sparkle beneath the firelight only proceeds to make Zuko want to lean in closer, to allow himself to drown in ocean blue eyes that are hazy with tequila and Smirnoff beer. The boy leans even closer, effectively penetrating Zuko’s personal space— and for some damn reason, Zuko doesn’t mind at all. 

“Did you know that— _ hic— _ did you know that the Titanic ship took over t-two hours to sink?” He shouts over the din of the party, leaning impossibly closer into Zuko’s space. He’s pretty sure that their bean bags are pressed up against each other at this point. 

“R-Really?” He replies so as to reassure the boy he’s listening. He smiles at Zuko, a twinkle in his eye that reminds Zuko of the night sky when he escapes to the roof at home. If he looked close enough, he could draw constellations in those cerulean irises until he’s mapped out the entire galaxy. 

“I thought it was  _ three  _ but it was actually  _ two,”  _ This time, he holds up one hand and tries to show Zuko the amount of fingers as an indication as to how many hours the Titanic took to sink. “It’s  _ huge!”  _

“There were a lot of passengers too,” Zuko indulges him as the corners of his lips curl into a soft smile. “I think it was designed that way so that they have time to be rescued and stuff.”

“Yeah!” This time, the boy throws himself over Zuko and almost knocks the air out of Zuko’s lungs. “They’re still doing expeditions! Up to now they’re still finding parts of the wreckage— _ hic— _ not like… like the  _ bodies  _ because those are gone—”

Zuko tries not to laugh. “Of course.”

“B-But maybe bones and stuff.” Now those piercing blue eyes are staring right at him and the flush of the boy’s cheeks only aids in making him look even prettier. Zuko doesn’t know if he should call for help or continue to stare very blatantly at the very handsome blue-eyed stranger, draped on a single bean bag chair for all the world to see. 

Zuko could recognize though that he’s had more than enough to drink. Though he’s attractive, he doesn’t want to take advantage of him in this state. He has basic human decency, of course. 

“Why don’t we get you some water?” Zuko offers with a small smile at the boy who is still laying on top of him. “What’s your name?”

“Sokka,” He slurs out, pressing his cheek against Zuko’s right shoulder. “I like… boats.”

“So I’ve heard.” Zuko finally allows himself to let out the tiniest of giggles, which makes Sokka laugh too. He likes the sound of that. He wants to make Sokka laugh more. “Let’s get you to the kitchen so that you can tell me more about the boats you like.”

The accompanying whoop of delight that came out of Sokka’s smiling mouth made the rest of the party worth it.

* * *

Unfortunately, Aang  _ did  _ make him part of the cleanup crew.

He supposes it’s inevitable. He’s been the stage manager for plenty of productions so far and cleanup is child’s play for him. It doesn’t stop Zuko from being grossed out at the ungodly amount of puke that got all over Aang’s carpet. Man. For a devout buddhist, Aang sure does know how to throw a rager. Maybe he’ll ask him to throw his birthday party on the one condition that tequila is permanently banned.

Just as Zuko is finishing up cleaning the rags in the kitchen sink, somebody enters the kitchen with a loud groan. Zuko subconsciously listens to the stranger’s footfalls as they make their way to the fridge. 

“Ah, sweet! There’s still some orange juice!”

Zuko nearly drops the rags into the dirty water. 

He turns around, heart pounding in his ears, and sure enough, Sokka stands at the open fridge chugging the entire carton of orange juice. Zuko’s face grows warm as he watches Sokka’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he downs the whole thing with giant gulps. Fuck. Zuko should  _ not  _ find this hot. And he’s pretty sure he’s supposed to stop Sokka from drinking all of Aang’s orange juice.

Thankfully, or painfully so, Sokka notices him staring and nearly chokes on the last legs of the juice. Maybe if Zuko’s lucky, he will not remember anything from last night.

“O-Oh! Hey there! You listened to me talk about boats last night.”

Okay, maybe he’s not so lucky.

Sokka makes his way to Zuko in confident strides before he quickly doubles over and holds his head in his hands. “Wooo shit, that wasn’t a good idea.”

“You should sit down,” Zuko pulls up one of the stools from the kitchen island. “I’m sure Aang has a bunch of hangover cures in here somewhere.”

“You know,” Sokka wonders out loud, placing his chin on top of his folded arms and staring up at Zuko as he goes around the kitchen finding something for Sokka’s hangover. “I never got your name.”

“You were pretty occupied with talking about pirate ships.”

“Did I at least make it to the conspiracy theory on Davy Jones’ locker before I passed out?”

Zuko laughs, coming up from behind one of the lower cabinets with a carton of eggs. “More or less. We discussed the plausibility of living on a sailboat for the rest of our lives before I had to carry you to a guest room.”

“Aw, shucks. We got in deep.” Sokka slides off his stool and opts to sit on the counter next to the stove so that he could watch Zuko better. Zuko tries not to let the proximity affect him. (It was totally affecting him.)

“Anyway, mystery boy making me an omelet…” Zuko snorts at that. “May I have the pleasure of knowing your name? I mean, we talked about living out the rest of our lives on a sailboat on the open seas. Let me tell you that my drunk brain associates that line of conversation only for people I find insanely attractive.”

Oh that’s  _ smooth.  _ And kind of dorky? Zuko normally wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of flirting but he’s already got a comeback ready to go.

“Do you seduce all the guys by abducting them on a sailboat?”

“Only the cute ones.”

“Because the cute ones are easy siren bait,” Zuko nods as if this is common knowledge that everyone should know. “A sound strategy, good sir.”

Sokka’s laughter is the most beautiful sound Zuko’s ever had the privilege to hear. No siren song could possibly compare to the way he laughs, head thrown back, hands around his stomach, and eyes tearing up as his breath catches in his throat too often. It’s unhinged, it’s unashamedly happy, it’s a laugh that could shake the world beneath Zuko’s feet.

It’s  _ freeing.  _

Zuko’s smile as he watches Sokka laugh is one that he hasn’t felt stretch his lips in a long time.

“Anyway,” Sokka says as his laughter dies down. “Your eggs are burning.”

Zuko immediately sniffs the air and curses as he turns off the stove. But there’s no salvaging the black tufts of nothingness sticking to the pan now. Great. Here he was about to make the cute boat loving boy a nice hangover breakfast but only ever succeeded in burning a fourth of Aang’s egg supply. Sokka seems to notice his distress though, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“I know a great diner nearby that sells a solid hangover breakfast for less than five dollars. Wanna come with?” Zuko blinks at him, not quite knowing what to say. Is this a date?  _ Holy shit is this a date?  _

“The thing is, I can’t finish all that food by myself since...” Sokka rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish grin but a knowing glint in his eyes. “Since the promo is for two people.”

_ Oh my stars, it  _ is  _ a date.  _

“Well, we can’t have that now can’t we? That’d be a waste of food.” Zuko pretends to think for a moment before he shrugs. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to join you. I’m doing it solely for the bacon.”

“For the bacon,” Sokka nods, accepting this easily, though the corners of his mouth twitches as he tries to tamper down his laughter. “May I have your name then for our reservation?”

“Diners make reservations now? How fancy,” Zuko moves to throw the eggs into the trash before he throws a smile over his shoulder at Sokka. “Make sure the maitre d notes me down as Zuko.”

“Zuko,” Sokka says, almost breathlessly, like he’s testing out the syllables of his name on his tongue. Zuko decides that he likes hearing Sokka say his name and would like him to say it more often from now on, preferably with a pet name once it comes down to it. “Well, Zuko, we set sail for the diner in fifteen minutes?”

It’s Zuko’s turn to laugh this time, and it’s as freeing and happy as Sokka’s was moments ago. “Aye, aye, captain.”

**Author's Note:**

> happy palentines day buddy <3


End file.
